Patience
by Storybookgirl77
Summary: Miranda and Gary are happily married and living in the flat above her shop. Everything is as it should be. Or is it? Can her friends and the man she loves put the pieces together and help when she needs it? How will they cope without her?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer. I do not own Miranda. BBC television and Miranda Hart own all. I just love the show. No copyright infringement is intended not should be inferred.

1\. Without

Gary woke later than he had planned. The last couple of weeks had been hectic in the restaurant. He loved his job. It was all he had ever wanted to do but catering for two wedding, a hen night and a Bar mitzvah in the same week had been exhausting. He smiled slightly, knowing he shouldn't complain. Work was important, especially now he was a married man. He smiled slightly. He had finally got his act together and married the woman he had been in love with for a stupid amount of time. Frowning slightly he realised he had no idea where Miranda was. Deciding he had to get up and face the day as well as find out what his new wife was up to he threw the duvet off and got out of bed.

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Stevie put the impossibly large mug in the centre of the display table. She knew it was a running gag, the difference in size between her and her best friend but she really did think the oversized mug would sell. She folded her arms as she appraised the display stand, deciding it was good enough she headed back to her seat behind the counter to read her magazine.

"Hiya." She looked up to see Gary jog down the stairs from Miranda's flat. "No Miranda?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. Where is she?"

"I." Gary shrugged his shoulders. "Dunno. Thought she was here. I slept in."

"Reeally."

"Stevie."

"Sorry." Stevie blushed. "You really don't know where she is? I mean you are her husband."

"You're her best friend."

"Yes." Stevie nodded. "But _I _don't live with her. _I don't share a bed with her."_ Stevie held his gaze. He looked at his feet. "You are really worried. Aren't you? Have you had a fight?"

"No." Gary frowned. "She just wasn't there when I woke up. That's not like her."

"Well, did she say anything last night? Is she going to see Penny today?" Stevie bit her lip, picking the desk diary up from the counter. "No, she hasn't written anything in here. If its to do with the shop we right it in here. We did do it on the tablet but then that was broken when she pushed me off the stool."

Gary smirked slightly, knowing that Stevie really didn't mind the sudden reaction from her best friend. Miranda and Stevie were quite the double act. "No. Penny and Miranda's dad are away until tomorrow. A retreat to put the spark back in their marriage apparently." Both shuddered.

"Then I really don't have any idea where she could be. Have you tried calling her?"

"Yeah. Her phone is in the flat." He ran a hand over his face. "I'm going to see Clive, see if she has been in there. No point calling the police. Not until she has been missing over 24 hours."

"We don't actually know for certain that she is missing." Stevie watched as he nodded before leaving the shop. She took a deep breath wondering exactly what Miranda had got involved in this time.

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_**A/n its a long time since I've written anything for Miranda. Worth going on?**_


	2. Chapter 2

2

The sunshine did not reflect Gary's mood. He knew that technically there was no reason to think anything bad had happened. Miranda wasn't a child. She seemed calmer since they had married - although he reasoned it may have had something to do with the pair of them spending the majority of time in bed. He smiled as he thought of the time they had spent together. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that he was right. Something was very wrong.

"Morning Gary."

"Clive." He ran a hand over his face. "Has Miranda been in?"

"Today?"

"Yeah." Gary paused.

"No."

"Well, if she does come in can you ask her to call me?"

"Ooh. Trouble in Paradise?"

Gary sighed. "Just." He paused. "Ask her." He headed out of his own restaurant with no idea as to where he was headed.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Such fun." Penny smiled as she listened to the woman on the other end of the phone. The cruise had been amazing but her and Charles were still not quite as happy as she wanted them to be. There was no way she was going to tell Stephanie Parkhurst it had been anything other than wonderful. She headed into the joke shop as she ended the call.

"Miranda!"

"She isn't here."

"Oh. Morning Stevie. Where is she? Not still in bed! I know her and Gary are still in bed!"

Stevie raised an eyebrow. "No. Gary is out looking for her. We don't know where she is. She wasn't here when I arrived. She wasn't here when Gary woke up."

"What?" Penny glared at her daughter's best friend.

"I'm ringing people she may know. Tilly, Charlie, people she may be in touch with from school. I'm clutching at straws. I mean really! The only people in her phone book are you, her dad, me, Dr Gayle, Mike, Tilly and Pizza Hut." Stevie bit her lip. "Oh and her cousin in Scotland."

"Call her." Penny paused. "She might know something. I'm going to look for Gary. " The older woman left the shop as Stevie buried her head in her hands.

Xxx

Miranda sat on the park bench deep in thought. She was an adult. A business owner and a married woman. A fully fledged adult. But she felt lost. Her and Gary had been married a little over two months - she'd had so much heartbreak in the lead up to her wedding in the Bistro that she had explained it as just being stress. But now she knew. She had no idea how to tell Gary or if she should. Wiping away a tear she turned sharply as she heard her name called.

"Miranda." Gary was clearly out of breath. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

Miranda sniffed as she watched him sit next to her. "I needed some air. Sorry. Why didn't you just call me?" She fumbled with her pockets.

"Because your phone is at home on the sofa."

"Oh! Oh bugger. Sorry." She looked away as Gary took her hand.

"Miranda? What's wrong? What's happened?" He felt his heart rate speed up. "Has someone hurt you? Are you sick? What is it?"

Miranda slipped her hand out of his. She wanted to say something to calm him down. To reassure him but the words wouldn't come. He held her gaze for a moment before the rain started pounding the pavement.

"Oh! Run!" Miranda got to her feet as Gary grabbed her hand and ran towards shelter with her. He had no idea what was wrong but he had patience. He knew he would find out in time.

Xxxxxx


	3. Chapter 3

Shelter

The rain ricochet off the metal roof of the bandstand as Gary caught his breath. Miranda pulled her long black cardigan closer to her as she tried to focus her thoughts. She knew Gary would be expecting an explanation of her odder than usual behaviour.

"You ok?" Miranda smiled weakly as Gary appraised her.

"Yeah." She nodded. "They didn't forecast rain. I would have bought a brolly!"

Gary laughed. "No, you never do. Forecast or not."

She shrugged. "I don't like them. The don't keep you dry. The just push the rain outward. And when you are as tall as me then you get the splashes off miniature umbrellas held by miniature people." She wrinkled her nose. "I don't like to get wet in the rain but second hand brolly splashes are worse."

"Miranda."

"I mean, personal space."

"Miranda."

"Erm?"

"Why are you in the park anyway?" Gary suddenly looked worried. Miranda sighed heavily. His brown eyes always captivated her. There was no way she had ever been able to hide anything from him.

"No special reason."

"Ok." He took her hand. "Miranda, we're married. Nothing is going to spoil that. Nothing you can say. Unless."

"Unless what? Gary?"

He looked away, feeling sick. She squeezed his hand. "Unless what?"

"You think you made the wrong choice. That you should have said yes to Mike or not to either of us. That."

She touched his face, her thumb resting on his lip. He silently begged her to answer him. "Don't think that. I could never think that. Gary. I love you. I always have." She kissed him gently as his eyes fell closed. "I just needed to think. I popped into the chemist on East Road. You know the one? All unchemisty type things among the Lemsip and ear wax removers?"

Gary nodded. "Yeah. I know the one. Next to the bakery."

Miranda nodded. She had no idea what to say or do but she knew Gary deserved an explanation. "Why did you need to go to the chemist?"

She took a deep breath. Gary touched her chin, making her look him in the eyes. She smiled slightly. "You're worrying me."

"I'm fine. Honestly I am fine. I didn't mean to worry anyone. I just didn't want to wake you that's all. Then I lost track and I bought this." She handed him a small paper bag. Gary frowned before looking inside.

"A face cloth."

"Not just that."

He looked again. "Toothpaste? We have loads at home. Oh."

"Yes." Miranda realised he had found the small package wrapped in the face cloth. "Oh."

"So? You're? We? I mean."

"Maybe." She felt tears come to her eyes. "I've not used it yet."

Gary squeezed her hand before pulling her into a hug. "Well? What are we waiting for?"

"We? I'm the one peeing on a plastic stick! I'm not doing it in a park! I'll get arrested! Oh the notion!"

Gary laughed as he held her hand, leading her out of the bandstand. "Home. Now."

Xxxx


	4. Chapter 4

4

Miranda pushed the wet hair out of her eyes as she looked at the small box in her hand. The instructions on the back of the packet were easy enough to understand. It was the enormity of what she was doing that was difficult. Miranda Preston was not the sort of woman who had ever imagined her self as a mother. She remembered the day in the shop when she had lied to Gary about having two children - Orlando and Bloom. She shook her head. That showed how she was too immature to be a mother. It just didn't seem to fit with her.

"Miranda?" She bit her lip as she heard Stevie call through the bathroom door. "Are you ok in there?"

"I'm fine." She called back. "Wont be long." She frowned. "Where's Gary? Can you ask Gary to come in? Please, Stevie." She opened the door. "Actually, why are you here?"

"I saw you both run in from the shop. I was worried. Penny has been looking for you. Tilly has been texting everyone."

"Oh. I didn't mean to worry everyone. Is Mum ok?"

"She's fine. I called her. Told her you were fine, just that you were forgetful and forgot your phone and Gary is a worrier." She shrugged. "I think she believed me."

Miranda nodded. "Gary?"

"Over there." Stevie nodded to the sofa. "He's not said anything since you ran in there." Miranda grabbed Stevie's hand, looked at her watch before gasping and running back into the bathroom. Stevie sighed before following her. Miranda picked up the little plastic gadget off the lid of the toilet. "Oh. Stevie!" Miranda's face visibly paled. "I."

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Dunno. Depends what you think it is."

"A pregnancy test." Stevie gasped. "Are you? Miranda! Are you. Gary and you."

"Can you get him? I think I should tell him first."

"Oh yes! Husband Gary. Yes, I. GARY!"

The dark haired man bolted from the sofa to the bathroom in a millisecond. "Yes? Are we? Miranda?"

She smiled slightly. "Yes?"

"Yes as in yes we are having a baby or yes as in we were panicking and there's no need."

"Yes." Miranda bit her lip. "The first one."

Stevie squeeled as Gary hugged Miranda. "We are having a baby! You and me." Gary smiled as Miranda nodded.

"Yes. But is that good? I mean what if I turn into my mum? Saying such fun every sentence and what I call? Talking about our sex life and genuinely embarrassing the poor child? No boarding school though. I couldn't send the kitten away so I really couldn't send a seven year old away for weeks."

Gary kissed her, ending the monologue as Stevie clapped her hands in excitement. "It will be ok, Miranda. Just have a little patience." He whispered as she nodded.

"We can do this?"

"Of course we can. And we will muck it up and make mistakes but we will be ok and so will our baby. Our baby." He tested the words again. Stevie smiled, happy for her friends she slipped away, knowing that a mini Miranda or Gary would just be another force of nature. The idea of Penny as a grandmother was something that she knew she wanted to see. It was certainly going to be an adventure.

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a/n not happy with the ending. May be another story soon. x


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